Looking Through his Eyes
by PK2007
Summary: Have you ever wondered how it must be to be Tom Robinson back then ? This what Tom saw and felt from the time he was attacked in the Ewell house to his death.


It all started on that day. I was walking to Mr. Deas's shop as always and Ms. Ewell stopped as always. She was alone on the porch.

She called out to me, "Hey, Robinson. Come here."

I opened the fence and looked around for something to fix, but there wasn't anything that needed fixing. I found this unusual and turned around to find Ms. Mayella Ewell holding the door open.

"It's something inside." she said motioning me into the house.

I had never been into the Ewells' house before. I was surprised to see the crammed conditions. I observed the interior with great interest. The room was full of unusual and uncommon items. I noticed a old grandfather clock , that didn't work, lying on its side ,and all the chairs around their dinner table were different shapes and sizes.

"In here." Ms. Ewell was calling out to me. I turned once again and went into the room that she was in. That was when the most horrible thing happened, it was terrible. She tried to get me. She tried to take advantage of me. It was the scariest moment of my life and I won't mention the details. I got out of their as fast as I can, away from the house and Bob Ewell's booming voice.

I skipped work that day and went straight back to my cabin. Helen and the children were surprised to see me back this early.

"Chillun' go play outside; I need to talk to your mother." I ordered. The children were more than ready to leave. After they filed out, I sat next Helen and put my head into my hands.

"What is it Tom?" she asked in a concerned voice. She walked over to me and sat next to me. I couldn't see her face but I knew she was worried. I started talking and I noticed my heart rate increase as I talked about what had happened in the room.

"She grabbed me around the waste and kissed me." I said breathing heavily, "The next thing I noticed is her father's voice booming through the window and I started runnin away."

I finished in a worried note. My body was covered in beads of cold sweat and I looked up at Helen breathing heavily. Helen opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again. There was a knock on the door and we both knew who it was before we opened it.

"Tom Robinson, open up! This is Heck Tate, county sheriff. You are being placed under arrest for the rape of Mayella Ewell."

***

I didn't know the date, I didn't know the time. I didn't know much. I had been locked up for quite a while now, long enough to know who would be defending me during my trial in May. It was Atticus Finch. I had heard a lot about him, including how good of a lawyer he was. I had hope. I looked at the window of my jail and saw a ray of sunlight breaking into the cell. It was thin but it still comforted me in this dark, cold cell. I thought about that thin ray of sunlight. It sort of symbolized my hope. Although I knew it was very hard for us to win this case, I still had hope. I had a ray of hope in this dark time for me, just like that ray of sunlight that lit up my jail cell.

A few more days had passed from that day and I finally got to meet Atticus Finch. He was just as I had imagined. He had on a suit and glasses, and he talked in a very formal accent. We talked for a few hours, he asked me questions about that day, and they made me feel very uncomfortable. It made me feel so uncomfortable that I started to stutter while answering the questions.

"Tom," Atticus started, taking off his hat, "if you stutter now imagine what will happen during trial. The jury definitely won't believe you if you talk like this."

"I'm sorry Mr. Finch" I said and continued answering the question but without stuttering.

It was a while into the conversation before Mr. Finch noticed my bad arm.

"Say, Tom what happened to you there?" he said looking at my arm.

"It was an accident they I had as a child. The cotton gin got a hold of my arm and tore all of my muscles out." I answered looking down at my arm.

I noticed Mr. Finch writing in his notebook frantically. I understood what he was doing. How can I, Tom Robinson, rape someone without the use of one of my arms?

A few more days had passed before I met Atticus Finch again. He was looking very worried and pale as he walked into my cell he took off his hat and started pacing.

"Tom, I'm going to be here tonight okay?" he said in a straightforward manner.

"Why, Mr. Finch?" I asked standing up. I looked him in the eye and quickly looked away. His eye had worried look in it and it worried me, because if Mr. Finch is worried, then I should be worried even more.

"There will be an attempt to lynch you, tonight" he said casually. I felt myself go into a state of panic. I started sweating and breathing hard. My heart was literally pounding hard enough to hear from a foot away. Mr. Finch told me the procedure for the night, he said that he'll be there to protect him, and then he left. I spent the rest of the day curled up in the corner of my cell thinking over my life. It felt like tonight would be my final night in this world and I thought things over. My thoughts slowly brought me to Mr. Atticus Finch. I don't think I've ever respected a man as much before. He was risking his life to save me, to save a black man. He had children of his own and he was still putting his life on the line just for me. I slowly fell asleep. After a few minutes, or so it felt like, I was weakened by the sound of engines. I looked up out the thin window of the jail cell and saw the glare of headlights that made me squint. Surprisingly, I didn't panic. I knew this was the end and I was prepared for it. It will be over soon. Then I heard the unfamiliar voices of many men, then the voice of Atticus Finch. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I wonder why it was taking so long. Then I heard the voice of a young boy, no it was two young boys and a girl. I listened on a little more and was surprised to hear the girl's voice go into a long string of words. I heard the engines start up again and then I heard them die into the distance. The light from the headlights that had illuminated my cell slowly dimmed and vanished.

"Mr. Finch, are they gone." I called through the high, thin window.

"Yes Tom, they won't bother you anymore." He answered.

I couldn't believe my luck. It wasn't exactly luck though, I wasn't guilty to start with, but I was black. I fell asleep.

***

"Guilty."

The word hit my ear and I felt my knees weaken as I stood their next to Atticus Finch in the courthouse. I turned to Mr. Finch and he turned to me. We stood there for a moment just looking at each other before they came to take me away. I was put into handcuffs and placed into my old cell. Mr. Finch came to visit that night.

"Tom, they will be taking you to a prison camp tomorrow." he said to me.

I nodded slowly not looking at him. I knew this was the end; I will have to get the chair. Then Mr. Finch started telling me that we still had a few other good chances. I listened to him, not really believing him. That ray of hope that had lightened me in these dark times didn't exist anymore. Now there was only darkness in its place.

"Why must they treat us like this?" I asked him quietly, "I'm innocent."

"The whole town knows your innocent Tom" Atticus answered me.

"Then why am I going to do die for a crime I didn't commit" I asked even more quietly, "just cause I'm black?"

"You aren't going to die Tom, there's still hope" Atticus said as confidently as he could. I ignored this comment and we both sat quietly in the cell for a bit. Then Atticus left and I fell asleep not knowing what would come in the days ahead.

***

I stepped outside for our exercise period. I had been in the prison camp for a few weeks now and I hated it. This wasn't the place for an innocent man. As the other prisoners stepped out I thought of Helen and the children, hoping that they were managing well without him. Then I thought of Bob Ewell. He is probably the most evil man I would know. He took advantage of his own daughter and that sickens me. The thought also sickens me that Bob Ewell lives that close to us. I felt angry at that evil man and then a thought triggered me to start running towards the fence. The thought was about Helen and the children. Bob Ewell will do anything to hurt them. I must get back to Maycomb and protect my family. I started running faster as I thought of what Bob Ewell might do to them, and I would never know because I will die before I could probably see them again. I will protect my family first, and then I will be ready to die. I was at the fence now and I used my good arm to start climbing. I heard bullet shots and the fence moved violently as a bullet hit. Nothing is going to stop me though, I must get to Maycomb or who knows what will happen to Helen and the children. I swung my leg over the top of the fence, and then something hit me right into my bad arm. My pain was overshadowed by my strong need to get to my family and protect them from the Ewells and possibly others. I started climbing down the other side and then I felt another hit me. I fell backwards, and as I fell I thought of Helen, I thought of the children, I thought of the evils of today's society, I thought of Mr. Finch, I thought of my mother and father and my childhood. My whole life flashed before my eyes as I fell backwards. I felt the bullets rip through my body, but I couldn't hear a thing. I shut my eyes and knew this was truly the end as I hit the ground with a gasp of my final breath.


End file.
